So now you are convinced to take your kids along and go on a trip together. Great! … But?
Oh yes, that famous BUT! … great idea BUT later… , … I would love BUT they are too little…, …we will go BUT when they get older…
Well, you can always find a reason not to go, but I’ll intend now to offer a million one reason why you should. And why you should not wait until your kids get older. Believe me, there is a reason why people say ‘small kids small problems’!
To start with, travelling with kids before they turn two is cheaper. You don’t pay their flight ticket so it is a good occasion to go far away (no coincidence we visited Easter Island before Elin’s second birthday), they are not counted when booking a hotel room and all entrance tickets or public transport are for free. You actually get some benefits such as priority or simply better attention. And what I mostly miss now – you may avoid travelling during school holidays! School holidays mean you don’t find flight deals, you overpay hotel rooms and you have to bear with crowds. In addition, there are so many nice destinations (I’m dreaming Argentina…) that are just not good to visit during European summer. So profit well before!
In addition, traveling with small kids does not require you to change much your itinerary. For them it is virtually the same where to take a nap so you can easily spend your day in Louvre or watching ancient coins in a local history museum. You won’t be disturbed by that weeping sound ‘I am bored’. You may also run as fast around the place as you want (and can while pushing the stroller) without hearing that sobbing ‘I am tired’. So one advice – get along a stroller as long as your kids fit in one.
As far as the ‘difficulties’ of travelling with babies are concerned, I would dear to say they are all just in your head. I somehow believe that kids also get tired from routine: same room with the same toys every day, same tired parents, same morning stress when they leave to work… The trip changes all that. First and foremost parents are around all the time and likely they are happy and relaxed – a reason good enough to enjoy the trip. And the views around change faster than on TV. So many reasons to be a happy little child:).
Finally, the earlier you start travelling the easier it will be later, both for you and for kids. I bet it may be difficult to convince older child to try frog legs or eat at the plastic street food table. But small kids have less prejudices and once they tried it, they don’t find it strange later.
So the only one who needs to put the prejudices and fear aside is you. Don’t say that famous BUT anymore.
Photo: During our one month long trip to Chile Elin was 1 year 10 months old and Tilius 4